The Los Angeles Dodgers aren’t just playing for October baseball – they’re playing for October dominance. For some franchises, sneaking into the postseason is a cause for champagne showers. For LA, it’s World Series or bust, and anything less feels like failure. That’s the standard they’ve built, and that’s the weight they carry every fall.
The problem? The Dodgers are wobbling down the stretch. With 84 wins, they sit as the No. 3 seed in the National League. Ahead of them, the Phillies (91) and Brewers (92) have put together stronger regular seasons. On paper, the No. 3 spot still sets up a manageable path. But baseball rarely sticks to the script – and the Padres are lurking just two games back in the NL West.
Lose that cushion, and the postseason picture changes dramatically. Instead of home field and a softer Wild Card opponent, the Dodgers could tumble into one of their toughest playoff slogs in recent memory.
The Wild Card Trap
In the worst-case scenario, LA slips to the No. 5 seed, putting them on the road in the Wild Card round. That likely means a trip to Wrigley Field against the Cubs, a team that has given the Dodgers trouble all season (Chicago leads the head-to-head, 4-3). Playing in front of a packed, frenzied Wrigley crowd is a very different task than opening a series at Dodger Stadium.
If LA survives that matchup, the road only gets steeper. The Brewers, who have leaned on elite pitching all year, would be waiting in the NLDS. From there, it could be a date with the Phillies in the NLCS – a gauntlet with no margin for error.
Why the Division Matters More Than Ever
The Dodgers don’t have to win the NL’s top seed to reach the Fall Classic, but they can’t afford to let the division slip. Without the NL West crown, they lose home-field advantage, rotation flexibility, and the ability to dictate series tempo.
And while Los Angeles still has the talent to beat anyone – Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman – the postseason is a different animal. Having to claw through October without those home comforts would be an uphill battle that even this roster may not want to test.
The Dodgers know the script: finish strong, keep the Padres behind them, and make sure the path to the World Series doesn’t start in someone else’s ballpark.
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